Improvement in step-ladders



UNITED STATES PATENT QEETGEo HENRY NIEMANN, OF YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN,ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD W. GRANT, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN sTEP-LADDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,414, dated Decemberl, 1%74; application filed November 9 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY NIEMANN, of Ypsilanti, in the county ofWashtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in SteplLadders; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, ref-V erence being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form part of this specification'.

The nature of my invention consists in certain improvements uponstep-ladders, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention.appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, whichrepresents a vertical section of a step-ladder embodying myimprovements.

A represents the side pieces of the step-ladder; B B, the steps thereof.C is the top step or platform, connected to the side piecesAby means ofbrackets a, and to these brackets the rea-r legs D D are pivoted, saidlegs being suitably braced. These parts may all be constructed in any ofthe known and usual Ways. To each of the side pieces A is secured ametalplate, E, of suitable length, which projects in rear thereof, andprovided with a longitudinal slot, b, which runs parallel, Ior nearlyso, with the rear edge of the side piece. From the slot b one or moreshort slots, d, extend inward toward the side piece A. At the lower endof each leg D is pivoted a brace, G, and the upper ends of these bracesare connected by a rod, c', which passes through the slots b in theplates E. When the ladder is spread out the rod i enters the transverseslots d in the plates E, and locks the ladder firmly in position. Byhaving' a series of such transverse slots, the ladder may be spread moreor less, as desired, and locked in any position. On the lower end ofeach leg D is pivoted a foot, h, made in the form of a stirrup, or othersuitable shape, and fastened, or rather pivoted, by the same bolt thatpivots the brace G to the leg. These feet, turning on their pivots, willalways rest flat on the ground, no matter whether the ladder is spreadmore or less.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. rIhe combination, with a step-ladder having rear legs hinged thereto,ofthe plates E, provided with longitudinal slots b and trans- Verseslots (l, and brace G, pivoted to the lower ends of the rear legs, andconnected at its upper end by rod i, all constructed and arranged as andfor the purpose set forth. I

2. The feet h IL, pivoted on the lower ends of the hinged legs D of astepladder, for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY NIEMANN.

Witnesses:

S. M. CUTcHEoN, E. P. ALLEN.

